Documobi is the brainchild of print and pre-media expert Peter Lancaster and Dscoop chairman Larry Vaughn. The app has been developed to make it incredibly simple to creative interactive, cross-media materials without the need for QR codes or similar devices.

"With Documobi we can make anything ever printed in the history of the world interactive in about 20 seconds, so long as you have a WiFi connection," stated Lancaster.

It involves three steps: users either take a picture or upload a JPEG file of the target print. They upload the image into the Documobi portal, and then enter details of the destination URL that people will be taken to.

A few seconds later, wherever that piece of print is in the world, it will be interactive when users of the ‘brand app’ scan the print with their smartphone or tablet.

Lancaster demonstrated the system on the Canon booth at Drupa and it was also being shown by Heidelberg in Hall 1.

It’s targeted at the larger end of the SME market as opposed to giant global brands, and creates a ‘walled garden’ for each brand that uses the system.

"It’s a system for printers to make money, by selling the service to their clients. The key thing is consumers don’t download the Documobi app, it would be the brand’s app," Lancaster explained. "I can teach someone how to do this in less than a minute."

The system involves a simple pricing structure for licensing the technology, with a small per-month payment for each image added to the Documobi database.

"Printers can then charge their own clients a facilitation fee accordingly," he added.

This article originally appeared at printweek.com

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